- Hybrid Renault Symbioz slots between the brand’s ICE-powered Captur and Austral SUVs.
- Sole engine at launch is a 1.6-liter full hybrid inline four with 143 hp.
- ‘Practical’ interior is big on space and all models get Google infotainment.
Renault is returning to its practical, family-friendly roots with the new Symbioz hybrid, a Nissan Qashqai-sized SUV the firm says recalls roomy, versatile past masters like the Renault 16 and original Scenic and Espace.
Which seems like a rather generous assessment to us. From what we can see, the Symbioz is nothing like as innovative as those old timers. It’s just a reasonably handsome, but entirely conventional C-segment SUV with an impressively large cargo bay.
Related: 2024 Renault Captur SUV Gains Fresh Looks And A New Esprit Alpine Trim
But maybe that’s enough. The small SUV segment is booming in Europe, and though Renault’s electric Scenic E-Tech is the right size to take on competitors like the newly-faclifted Nissan Qashqai, it has the wrong powertrain for many buyers. Most of them still want combustion power, but efficient combustion power, so the Symbioz’s sole powertrain at launch is a full-hybrid inline four.
The 1.6-liter petrol engine only makes 94 hp (95 PS) on its own, but combined with a 52 hp (53 PS / 39 kW) main electric motor and a 24 hp (25 PS / 18 kW) starter generator, delivers a total of 143 hp (145 PS) through an automatic transmission and out to the front wheels. Strangely, the gearbox has four ratios for the petrol engine and two for the electric motor.
The 4,413-mm (173.7 inches) Symbioz slots between the brand’s existing – and also-ICE-powered – SUVs, the smaller Captur and bigger Austral, and rides on the same CMF-B platform used by the Captur and the Clio supermini. There’s a clear visual link between the Symbioz and Captur at the front, but elsewhere, the design is stronger and more angular.
A sliding rear bench flexes the cargo space from a so-so 492 liters (17.4 cu-ft) to an impressive 624 (22 cu-ft), and Renault says there’s 24.7 liters (0.9 cu-ft) of storage room inside the cabin, including a massive 7 liters (0.25 cu-ft) in the glovebox – even Wreck-it-Ralph could find space for his mitts in there.
Symbioz buyers can option the same darken-on-demand Solarbay glass roof that we’ve already seen on the Scenic E-Tech, and whose lack of a conventional blind improves headroom by 30 mm (1.2 inches). It’s dimmed either by pressing a switch, or by voice command, using the standard Google Assistant tech built into the 10.4-inch vertical touchscreen.
Given Renault’s commitment to safety over the past 25 years, it’s no surprise to learn the the Symbioz comes crammed with safety software gizmos, too. There are 24 of them, to be precise, but much like drivers of performance cars can often save their favorite steering, transmission and ESP modes, so can a Symbioz driver use the My Safety Switch to deactivate up to six of his most hated ADAS functions with one press of a button.
The Symbioz order book opens in July and Renault will release prices close to that time.
